Who will be the first to overtake Ric Flair's 16 World Title Reigns?

[Cookie14]

Simple question. Ric Flair held 16 World Heavyweight titles across NWA, WWF/E and WCW.
Who, if Anyone will be the first to surpass his record?

HHH - He has the most reigns at present, with 13, but he hasn't been near a title in ages.

Cena - Currently on 9 reigns, but is the current champion, so can not add to it.

Edge - Also on 9, looks the most likely to add to his tally.

Undertaker - He has the next highest number of reigns (7) but looks unlikely to add to it.

Orton - Has 7 reigns also, and (apparantly) more power backstage than anyone, apart from HHH (and maybe Cena, as he is the face of the company)

Batista - Has 6 title reigns, but is apparantly looking to retire in the next few years.

Or do you think someone else can overtake all of these people?
Or maybe Flair's record will never be beaten?
What do you think?

 

[Unsold Bacon]

I voted Triple H because he is the closet and get a lot of world title reigns because of his backstage influence. BTW Kurt Angle is also at 13.

 

[Spunky]

Edge, Because as much as it pains me to say it, He's the ultimate transitional champion. Ever since his second title reign he has mostly had the belt due to an injury, Or to pass it from face to face.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

Isn't Flair like a 20 time world champ? I know that WWE only reconizes 16 but I was counting his reigns on Wikipedia and I counted 19, but it says Flair considers himself a 21 time world champ. But if we are only going off of what WWE says then it will be Cena and Orton, both have alot of years left and the way the Title changes hand these days they should both surpass Flair in a year or two.

Edit: I missed the part about being the first to eclipse 16, in that case I will go with Cena, I already voted for Orton but I misread your OP sorry.

 

[Shocky]

It'll be Orton or Cena at this point. Both of those guys are at 6 and 9 Championships respectively, and are in their young 30's. Hell, Orton just turned 30. Guys like Triple H, Edge, Batista, Undertaker, all either near 40 or on the wrong side of 40. They all might add a reign or two, but will never over take Flair.

I don't think Triple H will over take Flair, simply because he has his ginormous nose shoved up Ric Flair's wrinkly old ass. With his influence backstage and love for all things Naitch, I'd have a hard time believing he'll want anyone getting near his dream lovers top spot of title reigns.

However, Ric Flair has screwed his own legacy over by going to work for the competition...again. After the big send off he received and the ultimate spitting in the face of the company, I wouldn't put it past Vince McMahon to put one of his top guys into the spot of guy with Most Title reigns.

This is where Cena and Orton enter into the fray. Do you honestly believe that these two have no less then a decade worth of high main event level matches in them? Of course not. These two are going to be in and around the World titles for a long time. Cena has managed nearly two titles a year for the last 5 years, which would put his total number at something ridiciulously stupid. Orton is 30 and has averaged a title reign a year the last 6 years. Another decade in the business, and that pace takes him to Flair Country.

So depending on the health of Vince McMahon and his power backstage, look for Cena or Orton to knock Flair off of the top of the mountain, while the Game cries in the corner.

 

[Paragon of Virtue]

I voted Triple H because he is the closet and get a lot of world title reigns because of his backstage influence. BTW Kurt Angle is also at 13.

Kurt Angle is only a 9-time World Champion. Don't let TNA fool you.


I voted for John Cena. Triple H is another good guess since he is always going for/winning the belt, but he's older and might not want to pass Ric Flair. Cena is young, and probably wouldn't mind passing Flair since he doesn't have as close a friendship to Flair as Triple H. I wouldn't be surprised if Vince wanted Cena to pass Flair considering that Flair went to wrestle in TNA after he had his big retirement in WWE.

 

[Ferbian]

I voted Triple H because he is the closet and get a lot of world title reigns because of his backstage influence. BTW Kurt Angle is also at 13.

The Reason why Kurt Angle is signified as a 13 time world champion is because TNA counts his gold medal plus two of his amateur championships, and a title reign in japan which only the Japanese promotion and TNA considers a world championship.

On a site note, if we're to follow Wikipedia then Jeff Jarrett is the closest one to beating Ric Flair, Jeff having held 15 world championships across different promotions, although I'm guessing we're counting in forms of WWE's recognition of title reigns, and I don't exactly know how WWE is accepting world title reigns in promotions such as USWA and WWA.

But let's take into considering that WWE isn't counting Jeff Jarret's reigns with those two promotions, which would leave him to only be a 10 time world champion (only is harsh I know.. but meh) and I would probably have to go with John Cena or Edge perhaps.

 

[The Ram]

I have to agree with blue cardinal 87. Both Cena and Orton in there career they will surpass being a 16 time champion. Both are in there early 30s and they probably have more years in them to be able to surpass Ric Flair's 26 time world champion record. But even though Cena is in the lead right now I'm going for Orton to get there first. I think after a while Cena will start slowing down with his title reigns and then Orton will pass him up.

 

[Widdows]

Triple H my vote is for. With Ric in TNA, Vince will want to screw him out of the record just for some Vinnie Mac humour. Admittedly, Cena will probably reach the 17 first but with the amount of ridiculous short reigns in WWE recently, will it be worth anything? And that is why I think Ric's record will be beaten sooner rather than later and be beaten on numerous occasions.

 

[kiztwo]

I can see Triple H getting his 17th in his last match/near his last match because:

1. WWE want to stick it to Flair for going to TNA etc.
2. I can't see Triple H wanting to retire without getting 17

But that doesn't mean Orton or Cena won't beat that later as they are young and I can see a few more title reigns for both of them.

 

[Flair is Overrated]

Sorry, but Ric Flair should not be considered a 16 time world champion. In my opinion, none of his NWA titles should be considered world titles, and his pre-Hogan WCW titles shouldn't count either. From the rise of Hogan in WWF until Hogan joined WCW, NWA/WCW and the AWA (and all others organizations) were the minor leagues. To call the NWA champion or the AWA champion world champs in the golden age or wrestling would be like saying a minor league player is the baseball home run king. To be fair, Hogan should not get credit for any AWA runs he had that have become recognized. At best, the NWA title in the 80's was the 3rd most impressive singles belt, behind the WWF world title and intercontinental title. Once Vince and Hogan took over wrestling, no one cared about the NWA outside of the south. There's a reason NWA main eventers like Sting and the horsemen never had the mainstream name recognition of WWF midcarders. I'm willing to bet a hell of a lot more people have heard of the Junk Yard Dog then Tully Blanchard.

 

[Ferbian]

Sorry, but Ric Flair should not be considered a 16 time world champion. In my opinion, none of his NWA titles should be considered world titles, and his pre-Hogan WCW titles shouldn't count either. From the rise of Hogan in WWF until Hogan joined WCW, NWA/WCW and the AWA (and all others organizations) were the minor leagues. To call the NWA champion or the AWA champion world champs in the golden age or wrestling would be like saying a minor league player is the baseball home run king. To be fair, Hogan should not get credit for any AWA runs he had that have become recognized. At best, the NWA title in the 80's was the 3rd most impressive singles belt, behind the WWF world title and intercontinental title. Once Vince and Hogan took over wrestling, no one cared about the NWA outside of the south. There's a reason NWA main eventers like Sting and the horsemen never had the mainstream name recognition of WWF midcarders. I'm willing to bet a hell of a lot more people have heard of the Junk Yard Dog then Tully Blanchard.

That's just plain ridiculous dude, looking at your name I'm guessing you have a problem with Ric Flair, that's not really fair to try and ruin the guy's legacy just because you got a problem with him, no matter how "overrated" Ric is we cannot deny that he's had an amazing career, and he is a matter of fact 16 times a world champion, seeing that every promotion has their own world championship, all depending on if they're recognized and sanctioned as a proper world championship, the victory of one would count you as a X time world championship, and Ric Flair has won the NWA and WCW world championship on numerous occasions.

Just because Hulk Hogan were on the rise in a promotion that was slowly gathering the majority of America alongside the world's viewers as opposed to what NWA could draw of viewers because of what I'm guessing would be the limits with the regional territories, doesn't make the NWA and WCW world championship any less of a world title or ruins it's legacy in any way.

And to say NWA and WCW main eventers hasn't had the recognition of a WWE/F mid-carder is plain bullshit, look at Goldberg, he was a star in WCW, was put forth as a star in WWE, look at Ric Flair, same goes for him, Sting if he ever joined WWE would be treated as a legend too I will go as far as to say, I have my doubts that WWE wouldn't recognize the career of wrestlers outside of the WWE if they put themselves forth properly, and that's another reason why we're having the WWE hall of fame, guy's that did more in other promotions as opposed to the WWE/F are getting inducted from all stand points, hell we might even have a WCW themed hall of fame next year, how in the world would WWE be pulling that stunt if they didn't recognize WCW wrestlers for more than mid-carders and nobodies?

 

[FutureChamp328]

Triple H just because he really is the golden boy of the company and with an ego as big as his nose he will not be able to retire without being able to boast that he is the best ever. Also with Flair and Hogan in TNA Vince will want to have as many champions with huge numbers of title runs just so they can try to outshine the two of them. I have no doubt that HHH, Cena, Orton, Edge, and maybe even Jericho (he has had one or two reigns every year since his return) will surpass Flair although since they will probably be short reigns and have nowhere near as much prestige as many of Flair's title runs.

 

[Nicole13Edge/HardyFan]

I'm going to say Edge because I am a huge Edge fan and because he will probley win the title at Extreme rules.

Also they are planning on drafting him to Raw and the title over there is like a hot potato nobody can hold on to it. I don't think that Triple H will do it he is close to retirement and hasen't had the title in a long time I mean the guy is in his forties and he is in a storyline with Sheamus right now. To be honest I hope Triple H never gets the title again I can't stand it when he is champion.

So my vote goes for Edge he is always in the title picture, has a lot more years left then Triple H and is simply more entertaining and someone that people want to see as champion.

 

[Big Sexy]

I'm going with either Triple H or John Cena. With Edge although he is a 9 time champion and the ultimate opportunist, I think his days of quick one month title reigns are over and I'm not sure he's going to stay healthy long enough for it to happen. Orton is another guy with a shot but he's already 3 reigns behind Cena and I don't think he'll beat Cena to the mark. Now back to my choices.

Triple H- He is already a 13 time champion so he only needs 4 more reigns to pass Flair. Even though he's 40 he seems to have a few good years left in him and as long as he is in the WWE I don't see him shying away from the main event.

John Cena- This seems like the most logical choice because he is the face of the company and still very young. However, Cena's reigns tend to be longer then most champions and that will hurt him. I'm confident he will eventually pass Flair's 16 but he may not do it until after Triple H.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

HHH seems to be the easy pick because he's the closest to 16 but the reason I'm not picking him is because he doesn't get the title very often and when he does, he has long title reigns.

He's only had three title reigns since WM 21 and they have lasted a couple of hours, eight months, and two months respectively. In that same period of time Cena and Edge have won the belt eight or nine times each. Say you what you want about HHH but he hasn't held the title for almost a year and I don't see him holding it for a while as he is in a feud with Sheamus.

I'm not going to say Cena because he tends to have long reigns with the title as well save for his last few. I see him beating Batista at Extreme Rules and possibly holding the title until Summerslam.

That leaves me with Edge and Orton. I'm leaning towards Edge because his longest reign has been about three months while Orton's longest has been six months so I would rather think Orton will have longer reigns than Edge. Edge has been the definition of "win the belt one month and lose it the next" as recent history has shown.

Edge usually gets two or three titles per year so I'll believe he will reach 16 around the same time HHH will and surpass it first.

 

[SickJames]

HHH because Ric wouldve wanted it, factual imo

and HHH wants it which is the only reason he has as much as he does and they sped it up with that No Mercy where HHH won it twice in one night where he won, Orton won then he won

was a great new thing but the reason why it happened is obvious


also WWE will be damned if Kurt breaks it or anyone from TNA

so expect HHH to rack up three more titles over the next 3 years and win his big one to beat Flair's streak at WrestleMania 30, it's the obvious mark they are going for to break Flair's streak it needs to be huge

so WM30


and to say he hasnt been near a belt in ages in laughable considering I went to WrestleMania last year and that wasnt long ago when he beat Orton in the main event, it hasnt been a long while dude he could go without it and Cena too

 

[PedigreeTHE619Chokeslam]

I think it's going to be Triple H. He's the closest one there. There is know way Vince is going to have his Son-in-law be second to an Asshole who doesn't know what retirement means. I think as Cena, Orton, and Edge(I don't think Batista will get close) get older(I know it's a long time)there number of title reigns will start declining, just like Triple H is now. Triple H hasn't held the title since February 09.

 

[Depakote]

I think this question isnt exactly fair because -most- of Ric Flair's title reigns were back in an age when belts didnt change often and runs were much more credible. To be a 16 time world champion back then meant more than what it means now. Edge has alot of reigns but most of the time he was just keeping the belt warm while bigger names recovered from injuries. Will anyone ever be able to capture the same prestige of Ric Flair's title history? Nope. Those days are long gone. Title belts are treated more like props nowadays.

And I hate how WWE doesnt want to acknowledge too many promotions outside of itself. The only reason it acknowledges WCW at all is because WCW actually beat WWF for 80 some straight weeks, causing WWF to have to reinvent how they did things. WWE couldnt ignore WCW, despite how much it wanted to. No other promotion has even remotely come close to what WCW did.

I think holding a world belt in Japan is just as credible if not more so than holding a belt in the WWE. There are tons of guys in Japan who are way better than the likes of Edge and John Cena. Once again its the ego of McMahon thinking that he -IS- wrestling. Ric Flair is actually a 21 time world champ. He has held the top title 21 times across various promotions. Every reign should be counted regardless of whether McMahon's ego acknowledges the existence of the promotions outside of his little fishbowl universe.

The "world" titles in American promotions are mostly contested in America with American wrestlers. Why dont we discredit every WWE title reign since there is no true international promotion in the world. The WWE might travel to other markets but it doesnt dominate those markets. WWE only dominates the North American market and sells well overseas, but it doesnt stay overseas. It just visits. When the WWE leaves Europe, the fans there go back to supporting their local European promotions. When the WWE starts hosting house shows all around the world on a regular basis as much as they tour the states, then I might consider their "world" champions to actually be -world- champions.

Now the WWE has two world belts, the world championship and the WWE championship. Whats more valuable: being champion of the WWE or champion of the world? Does being the WWE champion count as being a world champion? Now there's two belts with equal value in mini promotions within the WWE? It just goes to further prove my point that being champion just means youre the champion of the promotion, not the actual world. So therefore, WWE title reigns are just as meaningful as title reigns in AWA, WCW, ECW, IWGP, TNA, NWA, MCW, and any other promotion no matter how small. When the WWWF was the king of its region, they had a "world" champion, while at the same time, down south, someone else was the "world" champion of their regional promotion. There is no real world champion because there's no real world promotion. Its all a fucking joke. Pro wrestling started as a carnival sideshow; let's not forget that.

As far as just passing the 16 reigns that McMahon's ego recognizes, I think we need to move away from this WWE Universe bullshit propaganda. Theyre not the only major promotion in the world and in fact some of the greatest wrestlers in the world dont even wrestle for the WWE. If someone has held the top title of any major promotion in the world, it should count as part of their legacy.

Considering that the value of title runs keeps getting deflated as the years go on, it will be very easy for someone to pass Flair's record but that doesnt mean that all of their title runs put together will have the prestige of a single Flair reign. A single Flair title reign from back in the day would equal about 3 title reigns in today's age.

 

[Nicole13Edge/HardyFan]

You know it doesn't really matter how many title reigns you have right now. Anybody can get a career ending injury at any moment. Nobody expected Stone Cold to retire anytime soon and then he got that career ending neck injury.

I don't think it really matters what any of us say the WWE is going to do what they want. I mean they will probley have the fans in mind when they make their decisions, but utlimatly the decision is theirs. If they want Triple H to break the record he will if they want Edge to he will. All I am saying is they may get an injury that casues them to not do what the WWE has planned for them to do.

However I would love to see Edge break the record he is talented and is great at being the champion.

 

[TheChampionOfTheWorld]

I think in a few years you will see a match at Wrestle Mania between Edge and Triple H for a vacant World Championship. Both competitors will be at 16 championship reigns and the winner will overtake Flair. To my knowledge they have only had 1 singles contest and that was at The Bash a few years back.

I think it will be Triple H who gets it the record because of his history with Flair.

 

[VintageWWE]

I would have to say Cena or Orton. Both are pretty young and have at least 15 more years in the main even picture. You can do the math both will certainly surpass 16. But the question was first to surpass Flair so I would have to go with Orton and that's simply because Cena's reigns are pretty long when compared to Orton.

 

[peep4life]

i would say HHH, ORTON, CENA, or maybe EDGE.
HHH bc he has 13 so i say if he has 4 or more yrs left he will beat it if VINNIE MAC has anything to say.
ORTON bc he has 6 and hes 30 he has probally 12 or more yrs left in him so i say he might do it if HHH
CENA has 9 and hes 33 i think he has probally 10 or more yrs left in him but i see him slowin down a bit here in a few yrs.
EDGE he has 9 and hes 35 i think hes probally has 8 or more yrs left[more without all the injuries] so if HHH doesnt i say EDGE does.

EDGE OR ORTON has the i think the best chance if HHH doesnt

 

[The Champ]

Triple H will probably be the first guy to do it, but considering Cena's only 32 and already has nine, he may very well end up with the most reigns ever by the time his career is finished. Considering he held a world title five different times in 2009, I think he's set a pretty good pace for himself. But now might be a good time to ease up on the quick title changes and give him another 2007-type reign, which I have been a big proponent of throughout the past year as we've been having a new champion seemingly every month.

I also have to say I'm looking forward to the internet backlash and people bitching about how it's an accomplishment Cena doesn't deserve, yada yada yada. Should be fun stuff.

 

[asslber]

It's gonna be Triple H. He's at 13(even though I'm pretty sure it's 14). Anyways, that doesn't matter. It will be him who takes the record. Why? Simple. He's the closest. He obviously ain't going anywhere anytime soon. He's married to the bosses wife. And he's Ric Flairs closest friend. Who better to take Flairs record than Triple?